Improvement in mail-bag catches



B. UNCLES. Mail-Bag Catches Patented June15, 1875.A

Ilm/anion THE GRAPHIC CO PHTOLITH.39&41 PARK PLACEJLY.

BENJAMIN UNGLES, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHTTO CHARLES KELLY, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAIL-BAG CATC'HES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 164,616, dated June 15,1875; application led May 1, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN UNCLEs, of Baltimore, in the county' ofBaltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements in apparatus for delivering mail-bags to passing trains ofcars; and I do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, andexact descript-ion of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specication, in which- Figure lrepresents, in perspective, the apparatus as arranged for use andaction, the car which is to take the bag being shown in dotted lines.Fig: 2 represents, in perspective and on an enlarged scale, a portion ofthe mechanism detached, to better show its construction.

My invention relates to the special mechanisms shown, whereby themail-bag is held in position to be taken off by the projecting arm fromthe car.

A A represent the rails, and B the crossties, of any ordinary railroad.The cross-ties B extend beyond the track far enough to form a base orsupport for the post C and its frame work D, as shown. To the post C, atthe points a and b, respectively, are pivoted or hinged the two arms EF, the one F being weighted, as at F', so as to hang, when not otherwiseiniluenced, in the position shown by the dotted lines. The other arm, E,when not controlled otherwise, drops by its own gravity, as shown bydotted lines, so that both of said arms, when not in immediate use, ofthemselves swing out of the way. 'Io each of the arms E F, at theirouter ends, are

attached hooked arms c cl, which, having upon them a stud or arm, e,that works in a V- shaped recess in the arm, can turn a short distancein their bearings. Each of the arms c l have a spring-tongue, f, which,when the bag g is hung upon said arms by its handles at each end, holdssaid handles to the hooks by their frictional spring-pressure, but notso rigidly but that the forked arm of the car may readily take the bagfrom the holders. The arms e and V-recesses are to prevent the hooksfrom turning so far as to take the line of slip of the bag out of theWay of its easy removal by the forkedl arm on the car. Of the hooks o d,the former projects upward from its arm, and the latter projectsdownward from its arm. The arms are in horizontal position, or nearlyso, while holding the bag g, but when the bag is removed the under onedrops down and the upper one swings upward, as seen by the dotted lines.The cap h on top of the post, to which the arm F is hinged, as shown, isof cast-iron by preference.

VGr are the steps for arranging the bag upon the arms and hooks.

Havin g thus fully described my invention, what I claim is Incombination with the tivo hinged arms E F, the hooks o d, havingspring-tongues, and studs c that move in V-shaped recesses in theirrespective arms, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

BENJAMIN UNGLES. Witnesses:

A. B. STOUGHTON, E. HUBBALL.

OFFICE.

